Rays back in playoffs after 5-2 win at Texas

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP)

They earned their postseason berth in the final game of the
regular season for the second time in three years, needing an extra
game to do so this time.

And their 5-2 victory in the AL wild-card tiebreaker Monday
night came against the Texas Rangers, the team that knocked the
Rays out the playoffs their last two trips.

''It feels really good to be able to leave here celebrating
instead of with our heads down,'' said Longoria, who had a two-run
homer among his three hits and scored another run.

''It sure feels good to get them after so many times they've
knocked us out,'' Ben Zobrist said.

David Price (10-8), the reigning AL Cy Young winner, threw his
fourth complete game this season. He struck out four and walked
one, and even picked off two runners while allowing seven hits,
striking out four and walking one. He threw 81 of 118 pitches for
strikes.

The Rays face another must-win situation Wednesday night at
Cleveland in the AL wild-card game, Tampa's third game in three
cities in a four-day stretch. The winner faces Boston in the
division series.

In the visitor clubhouse at Rangers Ballpark, the Rays were
chanting ''One More Game! One More Game!'' while spraying each
other with champagne.

''We feel like we've played the same game in the last week like
12 times,'' Zobrist said. ''It just feels like every game is that
important. ... Let's just get to the next game and we'll worry
about that then.''

Tampa Bay won eight of 10 games to get into the first wild-card
tiebreaker in the majors since 2007.

Texas had to win seven in a row to force an extra game. Eight
was too much for the Rangers, whose season ended in their 163rd
game for the second year in a row - this time without even getting
to the playoffs.

''What goes through my mind? We're going home,'' third baseman
Adrian Beltre said. ''We expected to be in the playoffs. But we
didn't play well enough.''

While the Rangers had a last-week surge to extend their regular
season, they were done in by a 5-15 start to September after
beginning the final month with a two-game lead in the AL West.

''We just didn't get it done. I've got no excuse for that,''
manager Ron Washington said.

Texas had beaten the Rays in the AL division series in 2010 and
2011 on way to its only two World Series. The Rangers then lost to
Baltimore in the first AL wild-card game last October after another
late-season slide.

The return of All-Star slugger Nelson Cruz from his 50-game drug
suspension wasn't enough for Texas.

Cruz, who had 27 homers and 76 RBIs in 108 games before his
suspension, was 0 for 4 with a strikeout while batting sixth as the
designated hitter. When he grounded out to short to end the game,
Price and Longoria locked eyes before embracing to start the
celebration.

When Price woke up Monday, all he could think about was throwing
a complete game, then getting that last out and turning straight to
Longoria.

''You're probably supposed to go to your catcher first, but for
what he's done for us and what he's done for me personally,'' Price
said.

The first four hitters in the game against Rangers rookie
left-hander Martin Perez (10-6) combined for three singles and a
walk, and yet the Rays still didn't have a run.

Desmond Jennings, in his first start in more than a week after
left hamstring tightness, hit the game's first pitch down the
left-field line. He was thrown out trying to stretch the hit to a
double when Craig Gentry made a strong throw.

Wil Myers walked on four pitches. Consecutive singles by Zobrist
and Longoria loaded the bases and Delmon Young hit a sacrifice fly
to push a run across.

Jennings had a leadoff walk in the third, and there were two
outs before Longoria hit a drive to right-center that landed in the
Rangers bullpen.

After Perez struck out Zobrist to start the sixth, the eighth
consecutive batter he retired, Alexi Ogando gave up a double to
Longoria, who scored on a double by pinch-hitter David DeJesus for
a 4-1 lead.

Elvis Andrus walked on four pitches in the first, but was picked
off by Price. Ian Kinsler had an RBI single in the third, but was
caught stealing after straying off the base and drawing a
throw.

''That's the way we play. Sometimes that's the result of it,''
Washington said. ''If everything would have worked the way we
wanted it to work when they decided to steal it would have been
nice. ... They made the plays to stop it.''

NOTES: The Rays could have had another run in the seventh, but
umpires ruled that Rangers CF Leonys Martin made a diving,
inning-ending catch of Young's soft flyball. Replays clearly showed
that the ball bounced. ... Longoria is hitting .579 (11 for 19) in
the last games of the regular season, with seven homers and 10
RBIs, according to STATS.

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